Goddess
by Fuijiwara Miharu
Summary: This is the sequl to Memories Regained.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, quick explaination. This is the second part of a trio so if you haven't read the first one, it's Memories Recalled. In this part, Chiro is telling Shishou what happened after Akito took her and Kyo away. In the story Chiro drifts in and out of sleep and while she sleeps she describes events of her childhood so hang in there, I know it's a bit confusing, but bear with me. It will all be okay. Now to the story: 

Chiro

I woke up in darkness. My head was throbing. I reached up and touched it. I felt dried blood mingled with my tangled hair. 'Where was I?' I thought. The last thing I remember was the doorbell ringing and running to answer it. After that, I didn't know what happened. "Hello?" I wispered into the darkness. "Is anyone there?" No reply. I was scared. I dragged my legs close to my chest and hugged them. My whole body felt brusied. My ankle was swollen. I started to cry. Papa had always said I was strong and that nothing could make me cry. That seemed so long ago. That was when I was three and had scrapped my knee really bad while chasing Hatsu. Hatori came and looked at it. I told him it didn't hurt. I was sobbing a little now. That's when I heard movment not too far away from me. I froze instantly. There was a small rustle and a moun. I inched away from the unseen monster. I started to shake as I heard it get up of the floor. It started to move around the darkened room. I was in a corner now. My body was shaking as I heard it come near me. I tried to be quiet but I started to sob again. "Chiro," I heard. "Chiro, is that you?" "Papa?" I whispered back. He followed my voice to the corner and sat down beside me. "Don't cry Chiro." Papa whispered as he pulled me into his lap. I winced with pain and my ankle slid across the floor. "Chiro, what's wrong? Does something hurt?" "My ankle," I answered through my pain. I felt his hand slide down my leg until it reached my ankle. I yelled as pain raced through my body when he touched the swollen lump of flesh. His hand jerked away quickly then returned with a gentler touch. I bit my lip so that I wouldn't shout. "Oh Chiro," Papa whispered. "What happened?" I tried to remember, but I couldn't it. Papa held me close to him. I streached out my tiny arms and wrapped them around his neck. There was flecks of dried blook resting on the collar of his shirt. "Shhh," he whispered gently, soothing me to sleep. "It's going to be okay." I knew he was trying to sound comforting, but deep down I knew that it wasn't gong to be okay. 


	2. Chapter 2

I guess you could say that I had a good childhood. A little abnormal I'll admit, but I was loved. Me and Hatsu would run and play together all day. We were always together. We used to get into so much mischief. I remember a time we put snakes in Yuki's bed. He screemed like a girl! It was fantastic! Then he muttered something about Ayame. Me and Hatsu were right outside his door. I guess he heard us giggling under our breath because he came out and asked us if we did it. "Children! You do NOT go putting SNAKES in MY BED! What were you...thinking..." we thought he was going to burst and I admit, I was terrified, "How did you...what did you... Where did these...snakes...come...from?" I looked at Hatsu and Hatsu looked at me. We couldn't lie to Yuki. It's Yuki. And there's just no lieing to Yuki. "Well," I started "I asked them to...to come?" I said hopefully. "You mean to say that you just asked them to crawl into my bed?" "Well," I thought out loud, "I didn't really ask them to do it. I just told them to do it." Yuki stared at us for what seemed like hours. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't. He simply said, "Chiro, never tell someone to do something that they don't want to do." Then he walked off. 


	3. Chapter 3

A door opened and light poured into the room. I was still waking up when I heard a voice, "Well, well, well. Still alive are we?" I heard my father grumble and felt him moving under my wieght. How long had I been a sleep? "Now, now, pussy-cat. We must use proper language infront of the little kitten musn't we?" My father's arms tightened around me. My eyes were starting to adjust to the light. I could see a siloett looming over us now. I heard a gasp that was so fake the a two-year-old could've picked up on it. "What have they done to my kitten?" the misterious shadow asked in a honey smooth voice. "We must take you to Hatori! Come little kitten." Papa held me even closer, "You're not taking her away from me!" My father growled. "Now cat, be resonable. She must see Hatori." "Then bring Hatori here!" He was holding me so tight now that I could hardly breath. "GIVE HER TO ME!" the voice bellowed. I started to tremble. I didn't want to go with this stranger. A pair of arms were trying to pull me away from father. I was crying now. "GIVE HER TO ME!" Then I heard a loud smack and my father's arms went limb. "PAPAAA!" I twisted and kicked, but to no avail. The arms that were holding me were strong. Then I fainted once more from exashtion. 


	4. Chapter 4

I always knew I was different. Hatsu knew too. One time, we found a baby rabbit in the woods. It was lost and couldn't find its way back home. Hatsu held it gently as I led the way to the burrow. I can't say how I knew where it was. I just did. All the rabbits fled into there home when they heard us coming. I whispered down into the hole that we were there to return the rabbit. The mother slowly came out to greet us. She was followed by six other little baby rabbits. We stayed and played with them for nearly and hour before Rin hollered for us to come back for dinner. We told everyone about the rabbits at dinner. The adults ate slowly and silently until Haru said, "You have a heart Chiro, never loose it. It's your only chance. Our only chance." I didn't understand what he ment and he didn't explain.

I woke up in a bed. The light was blinding after being in darkness so long. "Chiro, drink this." I felt a glass pushed to my lips. I drank slowly. Savoring the sweet herbs. Hatori's 'make-all-boo-boos-go-away' tea. I let my head fall back into the pillow. "Rest Chiro. You sprained your ankle really bad and it needs time to heal." 


	5. Chapter 5

We liked to take walks together. Something always happened when me and Hatsu took our afternoon walk. Hatsu sometimes ran ahead of me. He liked to run. I didn't so much save to chase someone. We where deep in the woods and Hatsu was quite a ways ahead of me when it happened. I was admiring a little flower when I heard a voice in my head. Help me. Please help me. I turned around as quick as lighting. I waited for a moment then it came again. Please help me. This time there was a rustle in the bush next to the trail I was on. I moved closer and slowly pulled back the branches. I jumped back from fright. Then I took a deep breath and summoned all my courage to step behind the bush. A large tiger lay on the ground. A thorn was stuck in its paw. Help me. It's voice was deep and filled with pain. "I'm going to take the thorn out, alright?" The tiger nodded and dragged its paw towards me. I reached down and pulled the huge paw into my lap. "This will hurt, but it has to be done." Then I wrapped both my hands around the thorn and pulled with all my strength. The tiger roared with pain, but it was done. Blood flowed freely from the paw now. The tiger reached it's head up and started to lick it's wound. After a moment the bleeding started to ease up and the tiger rose. It pushed it's nose to the ground and spoke to me once more. Thank you. I must go before the people find me. I want my cubs to be born into freedom. "Please tiger! Go back to the people! It's too dangerous for you here!" You do not understand. "No, but I do know that you and you're cubs would die out here! There is nothing here for you or your children to eat!" The tiger didn't budge, but I couldn't give up. "Please. If not for your cubs for me." The tiger raised her eyes to meet mine. All I could see the pain in her eyes and remember what Yuki had told me. 'Never make someone do what they don't want to do.' "Please for give me tiger. I only want what is best for you, but the choice is yours alone." I knelt before her and hung my head. Then the most amazing thing happened. I felt a paw on my shoulder. I looked up and saw the tiger gazing down on me. I see that you are wise. I will go back to the people not because you told me to, but because I choose to follow you. I flung my arms around her and squeezed. I must go now. I let go and stood up. The tiger once again placed her noise to the ground. Thank you. Thank you my goddess. Then she ran off into the woods. I turned to go back to the path and saw Hatsu. His eyes where wide and his mouth was hanging open. "Let's go home, Hatsu." Then I started walking.

People were gathered around me. I could hear them talking through the darkness. "How is doing?" "Good, but she could be doing better. She seldom wakes." "I must have her well again." "It would help Akito, if she could have her family with her." There was a long silence. I tried to tell them that I wanted my father but I didn't have the strength. Instead, I simply murmured "Papa." There was a long pause. I felt a cold breeze on my cheek as someone leaned in close to me. "Rest Chiro, rest and get well. Then you can see your good-for-nothing father." After that, deep sleep over took me once again. 


	6. Chapter 6

We went to a ranch once over summer break. I had never seen Rin so, well, at peace. She had a way with horses and the horses had a way with her. We could pet any horse in the stall that we wanted, except one. His name was Spirit. "Spirit was a wild horse," Rin had told us, "No one can go near him, not even me." That was enough to keep Hatsu and me away. If he was too wild for Rin, then he was definatly too wild for us. Still, the trainers kept trying to break him. After we had been there for a few days, Spirit got loose some how. I was out in the field picking flowers. Mama and Rin sat a ways of drinking tea under a great elm tree. I had a huge armfull of flowers when Spirit came charging at me. I became frozen to ground and my flowers fell around my feet. My eyes met Spirit's eyes. I could hear my mother screaming my name. And yet, through it all, I wasn't really scared. It was like someone else was controlling my body. I held up my hand to Spirit and he stopped right in front of me. The world became silent as Spirit began to nuzzle my hand with his nose. My took my other hand and stroked his great mane. Then I took a step closer to him and he lowered his head so that I could whisper in his ear. "Why do you run, Spirit child?" I asked him. "I run because these men try to tame me." His voice was low and mystical in my mind. It had strength and yet it had an edge of sadness. "Is that such a bad thing my love?" If horses could cry, this would be the point where Spirit would start to wheep, but instead he let out a soft whinny. "I want to go home, Goddess. I want to run free in the open fields." Spirit showed me a bright green valley in my mind. I waited for a moment and Spirit continued to speak. "The men came and took me away. I wanted to stay, the grass would grow again soon!" This confused me a little and when I asked him to explain, he told me that his field had caught fire and burned to ashes. Then I understood. And so I spoke to him. "Spirit, horse of the field, it is true that the grass would grow again, but what would eat until then? What would you drink for the river is filled with ash?" Spirit remain silent at my questions. "Spirit dear, don't you see that these men have saved your life? Be good for them and I will see to it that you are returned to your valley again when it is suitible to live in. Do you understand?" "Yes my goddess. You indeed are wise. I will behave as I should, but please return me to my valley soon." "As soon as I can, I will." Then I walked away from Spirit and towards the trainers that where standing in awe a few yards behind Spirit. "Spirit will be good now." I told them, "But he wants to return to the valley. Do I have your promise that when the valley has recovered from the fire that you will return Spirit to it?" Their mouths were still hanging open as I spoke, but when I stopped they closed them and after a moment, nodded slowly. "Then, please give Spirit some water, I'm sure he's thirsty after that little run just now." Then I walked over to Rin and looked into her eyes. My reflection was swimming in uncried tears. "Understanding is one of the greatest gifts the spirits have granted you Chiro." That was all she said to me. After that, I took Spirit to the pastures everyday and in return, Spirit would let me ride him.

I woke in darkness, once again. This time it felt different. I could smell the hay beneath me. Someone was dabbing my head with a wet rag. My body was sore and stiff in the joints. I started to strentched a little. "Chiro?" Papa whispered. "Papa? What happened?" Papa continued to dab my head with the rag as he spoke. "You've been driffting in and out of sleep for the past few weeks. Hatori has been taking care of you. They brought you back here last night." "My head hurts." I knew I shouldn't complain, but I couldn't help it. "I know Kitten, but you must be strong, like Mother." "Papa, where are we?" "In the room." "What room?" Papa was silent. The sun was starting to rise and I could see the outline of Papa's face. "Chiro, we are in the room where the cats are confined." I understood then, but only so much. "Are we confined then?" I knew the answer, but I didn't want to believe it. "Yes, Kitten. We have been confined." I sat up and pulled my knees in close. Papa put his arms around me and we sat and watched as sunlight filled the room through the small bared window. 


	7. Chapter 7

I turned away from the window and faced Shishou once again. I sighed. I had finally finished. He was stroking his chin gentle as he soaked in my story. "For the next few weeks, Papa and me would dance the day away. At night Akito would come and visit us. She would take Papa's braclet away from him. After he transformed, she would try to get him to kill me." I paused to take a deep breath. It still seemed like a terrible nightmare I had the previous night. "After a while, Hotori came in and erased my memory. The next thing I know, and will ever know, is that I was on the doorstep of Ming's place, alone and without a clue of who I was. Except my name. I never forgot my name." Shishou nodded. "That's the one thing Hatori can't touch." He said after a while still not looking me in the eye. "He can't take your name away from you." I sat down in the chair opposite of him once again and waited. After a few minutes Shishou spoke again. "How did you get your memory back? As far as I knew, once Hatori erased your memory, it was gone forever." He turned to me gazing into my eyes. "I don't understand it completly, but Hatori left me a clue. And from that clue, I some how was able to regain what he took away from me." I knew that that didn't make any sense, so I tried again. "He didn't really erase my memory, he just hid the pieces from me." I stared down at the floor. "Your father." I looked at him, wondering what he ment. "In his monterous form, of course." He sensed my confusion. "The clue. It was your father." "Yes. It was a memory of Akito telling Papa to kill me." "Yes, yes. And it was a nightmare your entire life, right?" I nodded "Hmm...Chiro, I don't know what to say." "You don't have to say anything. I just needed you to listen." Shishou looked at me, I mean, really looked at me. "Why Chiro, you've grown up. I dare say that you've done it quicker that your father did!" I couldn't help but giggle. Shishou smiled. "There's my kitten! I knew she was in there underneath that grown woman." I smiled, and for the first time since my reunion with my father, I felt safe. Truly deeply safe.

Shishou

Chiro and I drank out tea that was starting to grow cold in silence. It was a peacefull silence. We both knew that we wouldn't have another moment like this for a while. It was a dark path that we about to set foot on. "Chiro, does your mother know you're here?" I asked. Chiro shook her head. "She thinks I'm at Ming's." "So much like your father." I muttered under my breath, but Chiro heard and smiled. "Well," I said, "I guess you could stay the night here with me." Chiro looked up, eyes wide with pleasure. "Could I? Could I really?" I smiled. "Why of course you can! Do you think I would turn you out on the street?" My voice was full of laughter, but not for long. "Besides Chiro, we need to start your training tomorrow." I waited to see what she would say. We hadn't spoken on that subject yet and I didn't know exactly how much she knew and understood. "Is it true then?" she asked me, "I'm I really..." she couldn't finish it. "Yes, Chiro." I said setting my empty tea cup down on the tray. "Yes, you are the goddess." She was slient. "Shishou, I don't think I'd make a good goddess." "Of course you would." She stared at me waiting for me to go on. "Chiro, your whole life, we've been telling you that you had a heart. Do you remember all those incidents with the animals?" "Yes." "Those incidents prove it. You won the heart of the tiger, helped the rabbit, calmed the horse. And we all know that you secretly feed the rats in your house." Chiro blushed. "They where hungry Shishous." "I know Chiro, and you would take care of them. And have you ever seen a cat chase a rat?" Chiro thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so." "It's because of you. They don't fight because you don't want them to. Chiro, you've been protecting and caring for the zodiac your whole life, don't you see that? You really are a goddess. It's not something you have to work at because you've been doing it naterally. All you have to do is become aware of it and continue to love and care for the zodiac. The is what the goddess is supposed to do."

Chiro

Shishou's words frighted me, but he was right. I started to recollect my life with the animals. Shishou didn't know half of it. It was more than mice and cats. I went to an aqaurime once during elementry. My classmates where upset because the sea dragons where hiding from them in their tank. When they gave up and walked to the next tank and I went up to the sea dragons. Every single one of them swam up to where my face was pressed against the tank. One small girl saw me and from that moment on, I was the class witch. Needless to say, I never had a friend after that. It was worse when we went to the farm. They had horses, cows, sheep, rabbits, a rooster, dogs, cats, and rats hidding in the straw. I'm not going to discribe the whole insident, but it ended with half the zodiac sitting around me. I didn't think too much of it back then, but now it made sense. Even when we went to the zoo, strange things happened. Tigers walked right next to me, monkeys started fighting to get a better look at me, and the snakes stared straight into my eyes. It all made sense now. I brought my mind back to the presence and found Shishou waiting for me. "You see?" He was smiling. And yes, I saw. I was the goddess. The next 'Akito', but I didn't want to be like Akito. This time, the Goddess wanted peace. The Goddess wanted this to end. I wanted this to end. I wanted to end for my family's sake. I wanted peace for the ones I loved. That was what made me different. I knew pain. I hated pain. And now, I had the power to end it. I was the Goddess.

Once again, that's NOT the end. The next installment is The Final Task and I'm not quite done with it yet, but I've posted what I have so, yeah! 


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